The Russian president gives one of the most famous guns during his visit to
Cairo where he has received a hero's welcome in state-run media

By Louisa Loveluck, Cairo

12:33PM GMT 10 Feb 2015

Vladimir Putin presented Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s president, with a Kalashnikov rifle on Tuesday, one photo-opportunity among many on a two-day visit to Cairo.

Photographs show Mr Sisi smiling proudly as his Russian counterpart pulls the rifle from its case. The Kalashnikov, one of the most famous guns in the world, is estimated to kill around a quarter of a million people every year.

Mr Putin’s trip seems calculated as message to the international community that he still has powerful allies.

Several Cairo highways have been lined with posters of Mr Putin’s face, and he has been given a hero’s welcome in the state-run media.

Flagship newspaper Al-Ahram dedicated a two-page feature to the Russian president, calling him a “hero of our times” and extolling his “glowing intelligence”.

The loyalist publication - often seen as a mouthpiece for Egypt’s government - ran a 1000-word feature charting Mr Putin’s rise to power from humble beginnings, a story that echoed the lionised narrative of Mr Sisi’s path to the presidency.